The beautiful wild coast has had its fair share of storms and winds this season but produced five days of picture-perfect weather for the riders taking part in the twenty-fourth ‘racing of the tide’ at the Wild Ride powered by NUVO®.
Heading off from Morgan Bay on Friday the 19th July, the first wave were greeted with chilly conditions at the Great Kei River as they set off with intent up the first hill. The day soon warmed up, as did the pace at the front of the field. Sadly for defending champ Reuben Price, riding with new team mate Martin Hall as Team NUVO®, a damaged wheel within the first five kilometers put pay to their ambitions of defending the title. In a valiant effort to rescue their race, Hall made his way back to the start and managed to source a replacement wheel before facing the high tide back to the first overnight at Kob Inn, resulting in an irretrievable deficient on the GC battle. The experienced duo of Damon Stamp and Andrew Houston (Team 2 Stroke) powered ahead to take a convincing victory on stage one.
In true Wild Ride spirit, the ‘racing snakes’ continued the daily dash to the finish line, in the hopes of some stage victories. Whilst Team 2-Stoke pulled a fast one and disappeared over the grassy green hills and sun-soaked beaches, Team Nuvo were plagued with another mechanical on stage two which put pay to any chance of a stage victory. Meanwhile, the dice between the second and third placed teams was hotting up with experienced veterans Rory Attridge and Erni Welch (P-Squared) having the edge over ‘The Twins’ Craig Woods and Patrick Graham.
On stage three Team Nuvo had a clean run and blasted into Ocean View, Coffee Bay with a comfortable lead over the rest of the field. The GC remain unchanged heading into stage four which saw Team 2-Stroke make light work of the rugged terrain between Coffee Bay and Umngazi to clock three hours and seventeen minutes for the sixty kilometers to wrap up their victory. Hall and Price were hungry for the stage win but again fell prey to a mechanical and a botched ferry crossing but manged to still take second place on the final stage. On accumulated times, it was the seasoned Wild Ride pair of Attridge and Welch who secured second place overall ahead of a determined effort from Woods and Graham to claim a well-deserved third place. Mixed team honours went to novice team Johesta and Eugene Botha (TIG Holdings).
For the majority of the field, the Wild Ride provides an ideal opportunity to enjoy some of the best scenery in the world, whilst traversing the coastline on a bicycle. That’s not to say its plain sailing, the terrain is wild and physically testing and makes for a good challenge. Fortunately the conditions were near perfect this year, the rivers were mostly wadable and the days were warm and calm. Participants in the second start wave enjoyed a more relaxed pace, away from the stopwatch, but always keeping a watch on the tide.
In the first year under the new ‘NUVO®’ banner, the Wild Ride continues the mandate to make a difference to the communities through which the riders pass on their journey between the Great Kei River and Umngazi. Funds raised this year will be channelled through the Wild Ride Education Company (WREC) to build two new classrooms at Zithulele Hospital in the Xhora Mouth District.
RESULTS – Overall: 1. Damon Stamp & Andrew Houston (Team 2-Stroke) 10h44.49, Rory Attridge & Erni Welch (P-Squared) 12h33.50, Craig Woods & Patrick Graham (The Twins) 13h38.16.
Mixed / Women: Johesta & Eugene Botha (TIG Holdings) 17h37.05, Lana Cronje & Jenna Snyman (EDMG) 20h42, Sandy Jackson & Rob Futter (Time Out) 21h52.14